Standing Committees

Welcome to the HCRS web pages regarding the joint and individual program standing committees at HCRS.

As a Community Mental Health Center, HCRS is required to have a Standing Committee of the Board for each program funded by the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living.

The Standing Committee is a way to directly involve people receiving services, as well as their families, in the development and implementation of an agency’s policies. By increasing opportunities for clients to actively participate in decision-making, the overall goal is to increase satisfaction, service quality, and agency responsiveness.

HCRS’ Joint Standing Committee meets every six months to review common themes between the individual HCRS program standing committees. In addition, they share ideas on how to improve the standing committees. The group also helps bridge communication with the HCRS Board of Directors.

The Joint Standing Committee is made up of members of the individual HCRS program standing committees, HCRS Board Members, and HCRS staff.

Please click on the links below to review information about each of our individual program standing committees.

HCRS’ Children’s Standing Committee is comprised of community members who are adults with children who have been or are currently in the Children’s Program and who want to support and improve the quality of the services provided in their communities. The goals are to increase community members’ understanding of the Vermont System of Care for youth with serious emotional disturbances and to ensure that the communities served by the Agency have a voice with HCRS’ Board of Directors.

HCRS’ Children’s Standing Committee is mandated by the Department of Mental Health. The Standing Committee must consist of at least 5 members with at least 51% being comprised of individuals who are willing to disclose the fact that they are clients of services offered by the program or a member of a client’s family. At least one member of the Standing Committee must be a voting member of HCRS’ Board of Directors. It is important to note that the Standing Committee is not designed to become directly involved in day to day operation of the organization, and should not be involved in individual funding or service decisions.

The monthly meetings are facilitated by an HCRS Children’s Program staff person and are attended by an HCRS Board Member.

The Children’s Program Standing Committee meets on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 9:30 am at HCRS’ Springfield office. Please contact the Children’s Program Director at (802) 254-6028 for more information or to attend a meeting.

Clients receive a stipend as well as a mileage expense reimbursement for each Standing Committee meeting they attend.

The DS Standing Committee participates in the development of the local system of care plan and advises the Board of Directors of HCRS and the Department of Developmental Services on how well HCRS is doing its job.

HCRS’ DS Standing Committee is mandated by the Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living. The Standing Committee must consist of at least 5 members with at least 25% of the DS Standing Committee membership being comprised of people with developmental disabilities. At least one member of the Standing Committee must be a voting member of HCRS’ Board of Directors.

It is important to note that the Standing Committee is not designed to become directly involved in the day to day operation of the organization, and should not be involved in individual funding or service decisions.

The DS Program Standing Committee meets on the 2nd Wednesday of every month at 12:00 pm at HCRS’ Springfield office. Please contact the DS Program Director at (802) 886-4500 for more information or to attend a meeting.

Clients receive a stipend as well as a mileage expense reimbursement for each Standing Committee meeting they attend.

Individuals with Developmental Disabilities have a Statewide Program Standing Committee. The Statewide Program Standing Committee advises the Department of Aging and Independent Living (DAIL) on an array of issues important to the population. The Standing Committee has responsibilities that are described in the Administrative Rules on Agency Designation, §3 (revised June 1, 2003).

Clients, families, and providers are all represented on the State Program Standing Committee; most Standing Committee members are clients and family members. The Statewide Standing Committee is helping the Department of Aging and Independent Living achieve one of its major goals for the 21st Century: to increase client and family involvement in public developmental services in Vermont.

The DS State Standing Committee meets the 3rd Thursday of every month from 9:30 am – 12:30 pm. The location varies although the meetings generally take place at the Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce in Berlin. Please contact Lorraine Wargo at (802) 241-2648 for more information or to attend a meeting

The CRT Standing Committee participates in the development of the local system of care plan and advises the Board of Directors of HCRS and the Department of Mental Health on how well HCRS is doing its job.

HCRS’ CRT Standing Committee is mandated by the Department of Mental Health. The Standing Committee must consist of at least five members with at least 51% being comprised of individuals who are willing to disclose the fact that they are clients of services offered by the program or a member of a client’s family. At least one member of the Standing Committee must be a voting member of HCRS’ Board of Directors. It is important to note that the Standing Committee is not designed to become directly involved in the day-to-day operation of the organization, and should not be involved in individual funding or service decisions.

The CRT Program Standing Committee currently meets on the 1st Monday of each month (except in July and December) 12:00-1:30 pm at the Robbins Building Board Room in Springfield with video from the Hartford and Fairview Street in Brattleboro offices. Please contact the CRT Program Director at (802) 886-4500 for more information or to attend a meeting.

Clients receive a stipend as well as a mileage expense reimbursement for each Standing Committee meeting they attend.

Each of the two major populations served by the Department of Mental Health – adults with severe mental illness and children and adolescents experiencing a serious emotional disturbance and their families – has a Statewide Program Standing Committee (SPSC). The State Standing Committees advise the Department of Mental Health on an array of issues important to each population. Both of the Standing Committees have responsibilities that are described in the Administrative Rules on Agency Designation, §3 (revised June 1, 2003). Clients, families, and providers are all represented on the State Standing Committee; most Standing Committee members are clients and family members. The State Standing Committees are helping the Department of Mental Health achieve one of its major goals for the 21st Century: to increase client and family involvement in public mental health in Vermont.

The CRT State Standing Committee meets the 2nd Monday of every month at 12:00 noon (except when it falls on a holiday). Meetings are currently held at the Redstone Building, 26 Terrace Street, Montpelier. Please contact Frank Reed at (802) 652-2000 for more information or to attend a meeting.